foul line
noun
1
: either of two straight lines extending from the rear corner of home plate through the outer corners of first and third base respectively and prolonged to the boundary of a baseball field
2
: a line across a bowling alley that a player must not step over when delivering the ball
3
: either of two lines on a basketball court parallel to and 15 feet from the backboards behind which a player must stand while shooting a free throw
Example Sentences
The ball landed just inside the right-field foul line.
Recent Examples on the Web Scott looked on from the back, so did Brad, joining via FaceTime, as Bryan stepped up to the foul line one last time. 
Wilson Moore, The Indianapolis Star, 13 July 2022 Per 36 minutes, Şengün netted 16.7 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.4 steals, 1.6 blocks, and 5.6 attempts from the foul line. Morten Jensen, Forbes, 16 June 2022 Whitney Lind made a jumper from the foul line for Cooper, then made one of two free throws with three minutes to put Cooper up seven at 48-41. James Weber, The Enquirer, 12 Mar. 2022 Hardly a whistle, save for those that got him to the foul line for three free throws in his 35 minutes, 36 seconds. Ira Winderman, sun-sentinel.com, 30 Oct. 2021 As Andrew Wiggins stepped to the foul line to make it 87-72 with 2:10 remaining in the third quarter, any hope for a competitive finish was looking bleak. Shane Young, Forbes, 3 June 2022 The Heat get to the foul line when in attack mode, both Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler. Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 25 May 2022 Doncic also gets to the foul line the eight most times per game of any player, making the 10th most free throws per outing. Xl Media, cleveland, 28 Apr. 2022 The Bulls didn’t take a free throw until the 3-minute, 8-second mark of the second quarter and went to the foul line only 10 times. Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 22 Apr. 2022 See More
Wilson Moore, The Indianapolis Star, 13 July 2022 Per 36 minutes, Şengün netted 16.7 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.4 steals, 1.6 blocks, and 5.6 attempts from the foul line. Morten Jensen, Forbes, 16 June 2022 Whitney Lind made a jumper from the foul line for Cooper, then made one of two free throws with three minutes to put Cooper up seven at 48-41. James Weber, The Enquirer, 12 Mar. 2022 Hardly a whistle, save for those that got him to the foul line for three free throws in his 35 minutes, 36 seconds. Ira Winderman, sun-sentinel.com, 30 Oct. 2021 As Andrew Wiggins stepped to the foul line to make it 87-72 with 2:10 remaining in the third quarter, any hope for a competitive finish was looking bleak. Shane Young, Forbes, 3 June 2022 The Heat get to the foul line when in attack mode, both Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler. Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 25 May 2022 Doncic also gets to the foul line the eight most times per game of any player, making the 10th most free throws per outing. Xl Media, cleveland, 28 Apr. 2022 The Bulls didn’t take a free throw until the 3-minute, 8-second mark of the second quarter and went to the foul line only 10 times. Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 22 Apr. 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
1868, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
foul line
noun
: either of two straight lines running from the rear corner of home plate through first and third base to the boundary of a baseball field